The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has released the latest iteration of its diversity and inclusion strategy, the third such plan drafted by the organisation since 2015, outlining the steps it will take through 2024 to ensure it is functioning as an inclusive workplace.
In introducing the policy, Chris Jordan, the commissioner of taxation and registrar of the Australian Business Registry Service, noted that as an employer of over 18,000 staff spread across 24 sites in Australia, it’s essential that the ATO’s workforce reflects the people who populate the country it serves.
The plan outlines five key goals for the next three years to improve the organisation’s inclusivity. They are:
- Senior executives proactively foster diversity and inclusion;
- Staff understand the importance of diversity and practice inclusive behaviours;
- ATO’s workforce diversity increases at all levels;
- Staff can contribute fully and bring their unique and best selves to work; and
- ATO is recognised as a diverse and inclusive organisation.
Mr Jordan noted that, as the latest in a series of plans to improve workplace diversity, this release also offered a chance to reflect on the gains that had been made so far.
In recent years, female representation at the senior leadership level has increased to roughly 50 per cent, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation has increased to approximately 2.9 per cent, Mr Jordan said.
Additionally, the ATO has been awarded gold status in the Australian Workplace Equality Index four times, was awarded the 2019 Michael Kirby LGBTIQ Inclusion Award from the Human Resources Institute, and is rated as a top three employer in the Australian Network on Disability Access and Inclusion Index.
Mr Jordan acknowledged, however, that while these are excellent improvements, the work is far from over.
“We have come a long way, but we still have more to do. We want an increasingly diverse organisation, where all staff feel like they belong, are empowered to speak up, and always bring their unique and best selves to work,” Mr Jordan said.
He highlighted that a primary goal of the new plan is to skill executive leaders to be more proactive in diversity measures.
“Over the years we have learnt the importance of passionate and committed leadership, which is why we’ve called out the role of leaders in championing and driving diversity and inclusion,” he said.
This strategy will include the appointment of senior executive champions to work within each diversity focus area, which include:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander;
- age inclusion;
- cultural and linguistic diversity;
- disability and neurodiversity;
- gender equality (non-binary, female and male); and
- LGBTI+.
Senior leaders will play a key role in the plan’s function, but Mr Jordan noted change was needed at all levels to make the ATO a more inclusive workplace.
“We have also shifted to a broader accountability model in recognition that it cannot be one single area or team that is responsible for diversity and inclusion, it is the responsibility of our entire ATO workforce,” he said.
